Founded in 1993, 5280 is the largest local magazine in Colorado. The magazine's stories often make national headlines, and since 2005 5280 has been nominated for four National Magazine Awards. Get 5280 Magazine digital subscription today.
I was driving on a suburban East Bay road when the Loma Prieta earthquake shook Northern California in 1989. I was in the shower of my Manhattan apartment when American Airlines Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center. My wife and I holed up in our Miami Beach condo while wind and rain from Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and Rita buffeted South Florida in 2005. Yes, I’ve seen some pretty serious natural and man-made disasters. Yet I’ve lived in Denver for almost 11 years now and have not prepared—at all—for a worst-case scenario. I have some backpacking supplies (including iodine tablets) and a small collection of pocket knives, but that’s about it. No stockpile of potable water. No food beyond what’s in our fridge and pantry. So,…
SETH K. HUGHES Photographer During the 15 years Seth K. Hughes lived in Colorado (he now travels the country in an Airstream trailer), hut trips were some of his most memorable adventures. So he was eager to visit a slew of the backcountry dwellings to shoot “Off-The-Grid Getaways” (page 70). The only problem? Actually getting to those remote locations. Hughes took on the challenge by foot, mountain bike, and SUV, losing his way a few times in the process. While trying to access Anna’s Cabin in the San Isabel National Forest via a four-wheel-drive road, he and his companions made a wrong turn and ended up on a 12,000-foot ridge with panoramic views. “We all agreed that getting lost isn’t always a bad thing,” Hughes says. The lensman has recently…
BUSING Articles editor Natasha Gardner did a school bus ride-along while reporting her story about Denver’s forced busing period (“Bus Stop,” page 96), which attempted to desegregate schools and create equal educational opportunities for students. LONGBOARDING Digital assistant editor Jay Bouchard didn’t get to try out the new electric model from Denver’s Knights Of The Air Longboards (“Electric Ride,” page 29) before he wrote about it. But associate art director Sean Parsons hopped on a board during the photo shoot. His one-word take: “Awesome.” HORIZON WALKING We write a lot of stories about hiking during the summer and fall months. Yet Crested Butte writer Leath Tonino provided a refreshing twist on the lung-clearing pursuit with his essay about what he calls “horizon walking” (“New Horizons,” page 34). Translation: tracing the…
Colorado Public Radio’s retiring president gives voice to how journalism has changed. Saline—that basic mixture of sodium chloride in water many of us encounter in our contact solution—might be the simplest pharmaceutical at any hospital. It might also be one of the most difficult to find these days. In the wake of Hurricane Maria—which decimated Puerto Rico, where much of America’s IV solution is produced—hospitals across the country, including those in the Denver area, are facing severe shortages. Along with many lives and crucial infrastructure, the Category 4 storm’s 155 mph winds damaged the island’s substantial life-science manufacturing industry, including two Baxter International production facilities. Those two factories account for nearly 50 percent of the U.S. IV-solutions market, including bags, syringes, and tubing. The resulting shortfall—both of the solution and…
The Denver metro region is already home to a large concentration of atmospheric scientists, including National Weather Service forecasters. We’ll see even more weather wonks when two conferences draw them here this month. When they’re not discussing topics that go over our heads, the NWS meteorologists provide intel that helps prevent major problems. Here’s how. SPORTING EVENTS Coors Field is a StormReady site, which means its staffers receive warnings directly from the NWS about extreme weather events. They can then quickly decide if they need to move spectators inside or consider whether to delay or cancel games. For bigger events like the Winter X Games, the NWS can produce “spot forecasts”: predictions that can be dialed down to two and a half kilometers. The Grand Junction office of the NWS…
“IN THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO, I THINK OUR DRONE IS PROBABLY GOING TO SAVE SOMEONE’S LIFE.” On a clear evening this past June, a single drone whirred above the pine and aspen trees of Pike National Forest, its camera searching for two hikers who’d become lost after wandering off Devil’s Head Trail. Within a few minutes, the quad-copter successfully located the missing people and their dog; without that flying robot, the search likely would have taken Douglas County Search and Rescue’s 23 volunteers all night. Douglas County isn’t the only place where drones are becoming a useful arrow in search and rescue quivers: Across the state, other teams, including Fremont Search & Rescue, Mountain Rescue Aspen, and Summit County Rescue Group, are using unmanned aircraft to increase the likelihood…
